Chimu

Chimu , ancient civilization on the desert coast of N Peru. It is believed to have begun c.1200. The Mochica , an earlier civilization, was previously known as early Chimu or proto-Chimu. After the decline of the Mochica (c.800), there was a long transition period about which relatively little is known except that it was probably influenced by Tiahuanaco . The Chimu were urban dwellers and apparently had a powerful military and a complex, well-organized social system. They built many well-planned cities; the largest and most impressive was their capital, Chan Chan . The Chimu exerted considerable influence on the Cuismancu empire, centered at Chancay . The last phases of Chimu civilization were contemporaneous with the rise of the Inca empire, by which it was absorbed c.1460.

Bibliography: See J. A. Mason, Ancient Civilizations of Peru (1957, rev. ed. 1988); V. W. Wolfgang, The Desert Kingdoms of Peru (1965); E. P. Lanning, Peru before the Incas (1967).